Hydrogen-Powered Plane Takes Flight

April 3, 2008 -- Aircraft maker Boeing flew a plane earlier this year that was powered by a hydrogen battery in a first for the aviation industry that could herald a greener future, senior company officials said in Spain on Thursday.

But the company said that although hydrogen fuel cells could be used to power small planes it did not believe they could become the primary power source for large passenger planes.

"For the first time in the history of aviation, Boeing has flown a manned airplane that was powered by a hydrogen battery," Boeing chief technology officer John Tracy told a news conference at the firm's research center in the central Spanish town of Ocana.

The development was "a historical technological success for Boeing" and was "full of promises for a greener future," he added.

The plane, which used propellers, flew at a speed of 62 mph for about 20 minutes at an altitude of about 3,300 feet. It used only the hydrogen battery for power, Boeing said in a statement.

Hydrogen power uses chemical "fuel cells" that can tap the energy produced from the chemical transformation of hydrogen and oxygen into water.

It holds the promise of a cleaner and renewable energy resource, as it produces only harmless water vapor as a byproduct.